Alarm letter-box



modal.)

G. P. HERNDON. Alarm Letter-Box.

'No 227,005. Patented April '27, 188 0.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE P. HERNDON, OF WEST POINT, MISSISSIPPI.

ALARM LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming. part of Letters Patent No. 227,005, dated April 27, 1880.

Application filed March 2, 1880.

T 0 all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. HERNDON, of West Point, in the county of Clay. and in the State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Boxes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a letter-box for doors on dwelling-houses and other buildin gs, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of my letterbox. Fig. 2 is a central cross-section of the same. Fig. 3 is an interior view thereof.

A represents a box of any suitable dimensions, provided on the side or back with a hinged door, B, having a suitable look.

In the front of the box is a slot, at, inclining downward, as seen in Fig. 2, for the insertion of letters or other mailanatter. This slot or opening is covered on theinside by a slide,O, which moves in suitable guides b b, and has a corresponding slot, a, so that when the slide is moved upward the two slots will coincide, and the mail-matter can be dropped into the box.

To the slide 0 is attached a rod, d, which passes. up through the top of the box, and a cord, h, attached to said rod passes over a pulley, '17, mounted in the top of the box front, said front being extended upward in the cen- (Molleh) ter, as shown. The cord h hangs down in front, and has a ring or other device attached to it for convenience in pulling. The slide 0 is also, by a rod, m, connected with a link, D, for operating the bell-hammer I, to sound the bell or gong F, which is attached to the inside of the box.

The spring which acts upon the bell-hammer holds the slide 6 down, so as to close the openin g a.

YVhen the letter-carrier delivers mail-matter he simply pulls on the cord h, which raises the slide until the two openings correspond, and at the same time sounds the gong. The mail is then passed into the box, and as soon as the cord his let loose the spring returns the slide to its former position. The lettercarrier will, therefore, lose no time waiting for somebody to answer the bell and receive the mail.

This box may be fastened in any convenient position on or near the door. If placed on the inside of the door, the door may itself form the frontot' the box; otherwise an additional slot must be out in the door.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

ing a, the slide G, guides b, rods d m, cord it, link D, and alarm F I, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that .I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 1st day of March, 1880.

GEO. P. HERNDON. Witnesses:

J. J. MQOARTHY, H. J. ENNIs.

The combination of a box, A, having open- 

